


u crashed into my life (literally)

by fishtofu15



Category: Twosetviolin, Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Art Major!Brett, Film Major!Eddy, Fluff, M/M, Strangers to Friends to Lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-18
Updated: 2020-11-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:28:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27618380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fishtofu15/pseuds/fishtofu15
Summary: With one final courteous smile and a wave of a hand, they parted ways. Eddy sat by the bus’s window, passing one last glance at Brett. The raven-haired man, however, didn’t spare a single glance, already a step away from the bus stop.
Relationships: Eddy Chen & Brett Yang, Eddy Chen/Brett Yang
Comments: 3
Kudos: 26





	1. canvas (and an almost fractured arm)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [KuroNeko414](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KuroNeko414/gifts).



> this thing has been in the works for quite some time. i'm no writing genius but i did enjoy writing this. i do hope you all enjoy!
> 
> a small gift to [KuroNeko414](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KuroNeko414) because hooray to our friendship founded by our common interest in fics =^^= (she writes _amazing_ fics btw, pls do check her out)

There he was again, perched on his stool and trying to figure out just what to do with the blank canvas right in front of him. 

He gripped firmly unto his pencil, his expression mirroring the the state of the canvas displayed in his view. There was a large, unexplainable gap between stuff he knew he needed to do and how he should do it. 

The constant sound of footsteps passing by outside the room were of no help either. It just so happens this class was wedged somewhere before lunch break - the exact time film major students would fill the halls with echoing steps and light chatter because God knows why they have their break earlier than anyone else in the building.

Though Brett wouldn’t say their university had a great organizational system to start with. The teachers and lectures? Excellent, worth the price. The strategy of scheduling classes? Debatable. Any class correlating to art was squeezed into the same building with room assignments presumably decided over a merry game of scissors, paper, rock.

With a quick gaze sweeping across the room, he could see that everyone else was invested in their own works and actually making progress after the brief discussion. All Brett did in a span of an hour was a constant deadpan expression directed at his canvas, plus a handful of eraser shavings from the now gone sketches on the blank slate.

Oh, and he drew a circle!

“Alright, your project will be submitted the next Tuesday, not on the holiday. I’ll email you for any changes. You’re all dismissed.” Their professor announced, being the first one to be out the door.

Brett didn’t need any further pleasantries and packed away his things, moving to leave the room.

He was shortly following the mob of students exiting the door, canvas in hand. He thought he’d work on the project in his dorm given that he had the rest of the day to himself. No classes and no roommate either - Brett’s roommate would be back only until the next day or two. A camp thing, he says. Or was it a seminar?

A mob of students were blocking the doorway, hindering anyone else from walking out.

“Excuse me.” He uttered, squeezing between the students with a tinge of aggression. He was frustrated, if that wasn’t obvious enough. The students didn’t even budge, only inching away  slightly , too invested in their conversation. He huffed, letting the arm holding his canvas be the first thing to pass through, splitting the group like Moses in water.

How much does it take to exit the door peacefully around here? A game of charades so they can guess they’re blocking the door?

Peace was never an option. In this building, that is.

He was barely out the door when a force came crashing into him at full speed.

He felt all the wind leave his lungs as he got knocked down to the nasty floor with a painful slap sound. Along with that came a loud yelp and a snapping sound resonating in Brett’s ears.

The hallway went silent for a good three seconds.

Brett glanced around.

‘Did I just fracture a bone?’

His thoughts were racing, attempting to piece out what just took place. There, a few feet away from Brett, lay a man on his back, groaning. Oh, and beside him was Brett’s canvas - or what used to be a canvas.

That explains the snapping sound. 

He scrambled over to the groaning guy, wincing at the prickling ache of his hands from the impact on the tiled floor. “Oh my god, dude, are you okay?” He asked, hands reaching out to the guy but immediately recoiled. He didn’t like the possibility of making things worse with his missing knowledge in first aid. 

Students were passing by them in a flurry, some whispering and ‘discreetly’ pointing at them with curiosity.

It wasn’t everyday you’d see this scene.

“Some help would’ve been nice.” Brett muttered in distaste.

His attention went back to the guy who was now slowly sitting up.

“You good, man?” Brett asked yet once again, scanning him for any signs of blood or wounds. “I think I sprained my wrist or something.” The guy responded, discomfort clear on his face as he took ahold of his left arm.

“Let’s get you to the infirmary, oh my goodness.” Brett exclaimed, seeing the weird position of the guy’s hand. Brett was silently praying that he did not just see a bone slightly protruding right there. Just hell no.

The guy just nodded in response, still clinging on to his arm.

“I’ll go grab your stuff.” Brett said, clamoring to quickly retrieve the thick piles of paper clipped together with a binder clip. “Come on.” Brett urged, helping the guy (whose name Brett still did not know) to stand up. 

“I’m Brett by the way.” 

///

“You’re all wrapped up. Remember to ice your wrist and rest it for at least forty-eight hours.” The doctor said, stepping away from the now-patched-up Eddy (Brett got to know his name at one point, thankfully).

Turns out he really did have a sprain. Poor guy tried to brace his landing but bent his wrist the wrong way.

Now Brett stood behind the ailing man, also thanking the doctor.

There were a few seconds of silence once the two were left alone, the man sitting on the bed turning around to face the other. “Thanks a lot for helping me, I’m sorry for knocking you over, too.” Eddy said.

“Did you get hurt, though? I crashed into you pretty badly right there.” He added, concern in his tone despite him being the one with a wrapped arm. “I’m good. Gave the floor a big and painful high-five but otherwise, all good.” Brett assured with a lopsided smile, slinging his bag on to his back. Brett got a weak chuckle in response.

“Where are you headed?” The shorter one asked, a hand already stretched to help grab Eddy’s things. Brett had a strong urge of obligation to make sure this guy got home safe - and hopefully not sprain another limb. A good citizen he was. "I was originally headed to this shop,” Eddy started, “but I guess fate had other plans.” He laughed, his okay hand gesturing over to his injured one. 

“Bus stop it is, then.” Brett said once Eddy said he’ll be heading home instead. In Brett’s arms he held Eddy’s pile of papers, opening the door for the other.

“You seriously don’t have to do all these.” Eddy said as they walked down the now calm hallways, only having a number of students now that it was break time.

“Eddy, you have an injured arm. I should be able to do this as a concerned citizen.” Brett raised the papers in his hands. The other didn’t respond, only passing the shorter an appreciative smile. The two continued to walk down the halls, turning a corner and going back to where they knocked into each other.

Eddy halted in his steps, alarming Brett.

“Oh my god, your canvas.” Eddy exclaimed, the other following his line of sight. Brett winced, seeing the remnants of his canvas. It hurt to look at it, at least from an artist’s perspective. He was a tad bit glad he hasn’t started anything on that thing or he wouldn’t have been a good concerned citizen as he was right now. 

He had to admit, that canvas kind of hurt his wallet.

“Dude, I have got to replace your canvas.” Eddy said, facing Brett. “What? No, you don’t have to.” Brett replied immediately out of practiced courtesy, but at the back of his mind, a voice was screaming at Eddy to convince him otherwise.

“Bread, I seriously have to.”

“It’s Brett.”

“Sorry.” Eddy stuttered, but didn’t let his determination crumble. “Brett, I’m no art major but I’m pretty sure looking at that canvas is like me looking at a shattered camera. So it’s settled, I’m buying you a new canvas.” Eddy said, looking set on replacing the canvas despite the tinge of red running up his face from his mistake.

“Okay then.”

Brett typed in his number in Eddy’s phone on the way to the bus stop. There were no other small talks initiated, both settling with an awkward silence - though none of them put up the effort to do so. Maybe it’s the way that they don’t really know each other or maybe it’s the way they both thought this was just a one time event, just a small new thing in their everyday schedule.

With one final courteous smile and a wave of a hand, they parted ways. Eddy sat by the bus’s window, passing one last glance at Brett. The raven-haired man, however, didn’t spare a single glance, already a step away from the bus stop.


	2. (god-forbidden)highlighter green crocs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With one final smile, they parted ways. The raven-haired man didn't spare another glance, already a step away. If Eddy turned to look back with a spark of hope, no one else would know. If there was a tinge of disappointment flashing on his face, no one would notice.

It was now Sunday, Exactly two days since Brett got bulldozed by some dude that was half a head taller than him.

He's had a _wonderful_ weekend so far. Almost as if the weekdays never even ended. On Saturday he was holed up in the library and today he had to actually start on his project due in a week. Brett had absolutely no materials to use.

He's been patiently waiting for Eddy to message him about it, but it seems that there was no sign of the guy and Brett needed the canvas now. His patience wasn't doing great when stuck between deadlines and the clock on his desk was ticking awfully quick. He'd still hold Eddy's promise for that canvas though, whenever he decides to pop up.

With a sigh of defeat, Brett concededly lifted himself off his bed and put on an old black hoodie over his wrinkled shirt. 'Dress to impress' was no option at the moment. The only person who'd probably see him in this state right now would be some random store clerk - one of which he has no intention of impressing with a wrinkled hoodie, shorts and god-forbidden highlighter green crocs.

The trip to the store was not long. Convenient as what they say, building an art store near an art university. Students come and go throughout the day. The automatic sliding doors almost never closing completely from the rush. The place was always busy in the midst of finals. Many projects to make, not so many time to work.

Brett sometimes dread visiting this place. He always finds himself getting lost between the rising shelves and overwhelming amount of supplies. He could opt to buy an eraser but spend so much time roaming around and leave with a watercolor tin, two pastel sticks, a bottle of acrylic paint and a random squeegee. Oh, and he'd forget to buy an eraser too.

He stepped through the doors and inhaled deeply, feeling like he's come back to his natural habitat. 

It was crowded, but not that much compared to the normal rush the store usually would've had when the busiest time of the year came.

He immediately went for the direction where the canvases were displayed, willing himself not to waste any more time. He slipped on the hood of his jacket, feeling a tad bit conscious of his look when walking past a group of well-dressed people in their artsy painted converse with fancy print pants.

Brett’s crocs were shaking.

He exhaled, taking fast steps towards the humungous canvas section. He quickly snatched the exact same on he bought from before and held it under his arm. Now, the venture back to the cashier was the hard part. He'd have to play bird box when slipping through aisles of paint. In the middle of his haste (and dilemma), his phone vibrated from inside his pocket and he took it out, seeing an unknown number.

_‘dude, u look like u’re stealing mona lisa.’_

Brett instinctively looked around, now weary of this weird stalker who got his number. He looked between the shelves, peeking through the small spaces between art materials. His hand protectively grasped on to the cling-wrapped canvas and - okay so maybe he _did_ look like a robber in this stance.

He took one last look around the place and his gaze landed on a guy with a wrapped arm and a goofy grin facing him. Brett's phone vibrated yet once again and he gave it a glance.

‘ _it’s eddy :D’_

Brett approached Eddy, whose grin was unwavering. He looked greatly alike with the emoticon he sent. "Hi." The taller greeted, waving his uninjured hand. "Hey there." Brett replied, feeling _extremely_ conscious under Eddy's stare as he stood in his lazily coordinated outfit.

"You should've texted me, I would've bought you a new canvas as soon as possible." Eddy said, his grin turning into a slight frown - almost like a pout. Brett didn't really know how to react.

"I...yeah." Brett's eyebrows furrowed, reviewing Eddy's statement. " _Wait,_ I didn't have your number. I was waiting for _you_ to text _me_." He tried to argue, feeling slightly offended at the frown directed at him. "You're right. My bad." Eddy chuckled with a light shake of his head. "Is that all you need? You can pick up some other stuff, too. I'll pay for it." He said, looking unbelievably comfortable in his arm support.

"No, this is all I need. Plus, the canvas is the only thing you promised, I'd be ashamed to let you buy me other stuff." Brett quipped, raising the canvas up a bit.

"Great. I need to pick up some film roll, though. I'll be quick and then we can pay." Eddy said, nodding off to one direction. Brett nodded, waving his free hand to let him lead the way.

Brett wandered off to the camera tech corner of the store for a grand total of three times the whole year. Though those trips were nothing to write home about. Just a quick scroll and realizing he's either too broke to buy an actual camera, don't know how to operate one, or collectively have no interest in getting one.

True enough, Eddy was quick. Brett had to pick up his pace, confused at how this man could walk so fast with an injured arm.

 _'That's kind of a stupid thought.'_ Brett inwardly facepalmed at his own thinking.

Eddy maneuvered through the aisles and quickly reached the small glass counter where a store clerk watched over film rolls, memory cards, and other trinkets for different types of cameras. It was a quick transaction since Eddy knew what he specifically needed. Brett was rather amazed he didn't take a detour around the aisles. Brett definitely would have if he was in Eddy's shoes.

Eddy thankfully had a reasonable pace on the way back to the cashier. Brett could finally walk by his side without taking large steps. “Where are you headed to after?” Brett felt the need to ask. The silence was more gauche than it was yesterday and the cashier was still a bit far away.

"Probably around the block, looking around, try out the new film. Yesterday was a pain - both figuratively and literally." Eddy said, glancing at his arm. "Group meetings absolutely suck." He heaved a sigh.

“Understandable.”

"What about you?" Eddy stared and Brett looked away. "I'm pretty sure I have no more ounce of self-esteem to face anyone else I know in this outfit." Brett chuckled, delivering the truth in a jesting way.

“Why?” 

Brett was sure Eddy was messing with him. 

He was about to scoff and face Eddy but then saw the genuine look of confusion on his face.

"Are you serious?" Brett chuckled in disbelief. "Dude, look at my outfit and look at yours. I'm in no way supposed to be outside right now." He explained, pushing a hand towards Eddy's torso. Eddy quietly looked back and forth between his own clothes and Brett's, seemingly getting even more confused.

“Why? You look cute, though.” He replied with no hesitance. Brett did a double take, almost tripping on his own feet. Eddy had no trace of teasing on his face. A genuine smile was on his lips and his eyes held Brett's astonished gaze with kindness. "The crocs are kind of an overkill, though." He added, smile turning into a smirk, head tilting as he glanced at Brett's feet.

“I’ll go pay.” Eddy announced, not giving time for Brett to formulate a proper comeback. He didn't know if he should be laughing or crying at the playful jab on his footwear. But what was there to say, he was already well aware of the monstrosity on his feet. Brett robotically placed the canvas on the counter and presumed to stare blankly as the cashier scanned the two items. 

By the time they were outside of the store, Brett got over his initial shock and faced Eddy.

"Thank you for replacing my canvas." Brett said, shaking off Eddy's previous remark. "I'll be on my way now. Lots of projects to finish." He chuckled, hands clasping on to his dear canvas.

“Of course. Good luck with finals.”

“You too, Eddy.”

With one final smile, they parted ways. The raven-haired man didn't spare another glance, already a step away. If Eddy turned to look back with a spark of hope, no one else would know. If there was a tinge of disappointment flashing on his face, no one would notice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i feel like i had a stroke repeatedly editing.


	3. a (cloudy) fine day

Brett Yang was officially a free man.

Free from his unhealthy relationship with his academic obligations.

The past two weeks have been a battlefield but Brett didn't want to sit still and reminisce about how it went nor how he managed to survive. No, thank you. He'd rather bury it into the deepest parts of his mind and completely forget about it until their grades were up. Only then will he allow himself to fret about his academic performance.

There's probably no other way for Brett to do that other than surrendering the last of his money into the hands of the unhealthiest food chains littered across the campus. Maybe even have a small look around the gallery that just opened up across the bridge.

He actually bothered to dress up for the 'special' occasion. Nobody was going to ruin his mood for dressing up in an expensive burgundy blazer and fancy leather shoes. Absolutely no one. Not event he Burger King cashier taking his order.

Brett happily carried around his large paper bag containing the giant mouthwatering mountain of calorie as he made his way down the sidewalk. He loved hearing the tap of his shoes against the pavement, the blank expression on his face masking the small joys he had. He started going to the direction of the bridge. He thanked all the gods and deities that blessed him with a cloudy day. It was the perfect weather to be sitting by the water (in his opinion).

He stalked over to the sides, gazing at the ripples going through the water. There was a small breeze rustling the wilting leaves of the trees and distant honks and engines of cars crossing the bridge. This is exactly how he wanted to spend the day. 

He looked forward, seeing a figure hunched over the side railings.

In fact, the specific figure looked too familiar.

Brett felt around his pockets, looking for his phone. There was an upward tug on the side of his mouth as he thought of something.

_'dude, u look like u're in a music video.'_

From the distance, Brett could see the figure reach for his phone inside his pocket. Brett laughed lightly, seeing Eddy tense up for a second before wearily looking around.

_'it's Brett :)'_

Their eyes met and Brett waved his hand, grinning.

"Care to share why you're here on such a fine day?" Brett queried, taking his place beside Eddy and leaning on the railings.

"It's quite cloudy..." Eddy mumbled, staring up at the sky that was indeed, not so clear.

Brett went quiet, taking a look at the taller boy. He looked...unusual. Far from the last time Brett saw him (and he's not talking about the missing wrap on his arm, though he noticed that too). Brett was no one to judge, though, he's only met the man for a total of two times. 

Eddy's shoulders slumped and his eyes were cast on the calm waters. Brett took notice of the camera slung on his neck.

"Out to take pictures?"

Eddy chuckled with no effort, seeming more like a quick exhale through his nose. "You could say that," he replied, forcing a small smile, "nothing's coming to me, though." 

"Oh man, I should've gotten the four cheese whopper."

Eddy looked at Brett in surprise, not expecting such a random statement. He laughed in disbelief. Typically, some uplifting words would follow - the Burger King statement was kind of okay, though.

"Listen, I'm no one with wise and inspirational words, yeah?" Oh it was clear. "But I'm sure there's something worth capturing everywhere you look. Even the most mundane things." He passed Eddy a smile. "Well, what about now. For you, what's worth remembering?" Eddy asked, taking his camera.

"Right now?" Brett hummed, lower lip jutting out as he fixed the paper bag in his hold. "Meeting you, probably."

Eddy stopped fumbling with his camera but his gaze remained on it, nonetheless.

"Why?" His curiosity could not be helped, especially with the two words spoken with no hesitation. "It's seems so crazy that we keep meeting coincidentally, but for the most part it seems so funny. Someone could ask us how we became friends and we'd say you literally crashed into my life." Brett chuckled, anticipating the other breaking into laughter beside him. He was only met with silence. He faced Eddy, partly worried that he might've said something wrong or if the man just decided to leave him while he was busy talking. The man was staring at him with a barely suppressed smile.

"Friends?" He asked, his tone hesitant but he was visibly trying to stop the curl on his lips. Brett wondered for a moment, why he wanted to hide his lovely smile.

"Of course! We met out of pure coincidence for three whole times, I think that's enough to call you a friend, right?" The shorter man paused. "But that's if you're fine with it? I won't force you or anything." He quickly backtracked, one foot stepping away. The thought of fleeing was already on the back of his mind despite the positive sign on the other's face.

Eddy was quick to reach out and tug him back slightly.

"No, no. It's okay, Brett, I'd love to be your friend." Eddy said and there it was. A full genuine smile blooming on Eddy's face just like the last time. Brett looked up at him with a smile of his own.

"Friends?"

"Friends."

///

Eddy soon discovered Brett's _'friend privilege starter pack'_ was sharing a one person meal between the two of them. He wanted to decline but the other was very persistent, saying it'd be a better experience with a friend and to commemorate the start of their friendship.

"You're a film major?" Brett repeated, arm about to wipe off whatever grease was left on his face from the monstrous bite he took from his burger. Though he was quick enough to stop, being faintly reminded of what exact clothing he was about to stain.

"Serviette?" Eddy offered. Brett accepted it thankfully, wiping his mouth clean. "And yeah, a film major. Dreamt of being an award-winning director once." There was laughter that followed. Brett frowned slightly, but gave a nod.

He was all too familiar with dreams.

"I dreamed of that, too - an astounding painter. Thousands of people admiring my work, name being familiar to many, many people." Brett sighed, shoulders slumping down. "Spoiler alert, the dream started to fade, eventually. At one point I just started to be thankful I get to express myself through my art and have some people appreciate them too." Brett eyed his burger, moving to take another humongous chomp.

A camera shutter went off beside him.

Brett faced Eddy, mouth still full and saw him already looking down on his camera. There was a subtle smile on his face, partly masked by the angle Brett was able to see.

"Did you finally find something worth remembering?" Brett asked after gulping down the bite he took. He still had proper etiquette in oppose to his messy bites. Eddy hummed in response.

"Hey, are you free for the rest of the day?" The taller asked after they both cleaned up. Brett nodded. "I plan on stopping by a new art gallery across the bridge. Other than that, nothing else." He said, dropping their trash in a nearby bin. "Mind if I tag along?" Eddy asked, hesitant.

Brett couldn't just shrug off and pretend not to see the speck of hope in Eddy's eyes.

"Sure." 

Off they went to the other side of the bridge, conversing about little things.

They shortly arrived at the art gallery. One by a no-name artist that used vibrant tones of red. Eddy gave Brett his space to admire the works by himself and roamed around the place, impressed at the unique uses of a single color. Now, he was no professional but he'd say the artist deserved more recognition.

Brett, on the other hand, stood at the other side of the large studio, watching the artworks from a few steps away. He observed intently, wondering about the paint layering over each other and eventually forming the completed piece. It was a long and hard process. Some things can't easily be conveyed through a still portrait. There's so much you'd want to show but not everything can come through and be truly seen.

"This is my dream." Brett said after rounding the place and standing beside Eddy who was looking at a small piece under the spotlight. "Used to be brighter, more crowded - the limelight and all those other things." He glanced at Eddy. "But now I just want this. A quiet place to show the work that I've done. A few people coming in not because my name is sparkling in the light of headlines, but because I'm able to communicate something to them."

"That's a nice dream." The taller said, genuine. "I guess that happens a lot, hey?" Brett hummed in question. "You enter uni with big dreams but as days go by you're humbled down. Little by little you realize those dreams you had are just too big and you'd have to settle with something smaller." Eddy said, the grip on his camera firm.

Brett's insides churned and he frowned, facing Eddy. It wasn't exactly like that. Yes, you'd have big dreams, but it's not because 'you're not enough' that you slowly let go of that dream. It's realizing things along the way - things that matter the most to you - and making it your new dream. You're happier that way.

He was ready to say just that, wanting to argue. But he stilled, looking up and catching the other blinking rapidly, facing away to look at a different piece.

"You ready to go?" Brett asked.

"Yeah." He breathed out, letting his camera sling back down on his chest.

They exited the place, going down the small set of steps until Eddy halted. Bret followed, hearing the sudden scrape of Eddy's shoes on the pavement. He looked back at Eddy with a questioning hum.

"Wait, wait. Go _where_?" His head tilted, a display of confusion and slight frustration on his face. Brett couldn't help but laugh. "Anywhere, Eddy."

With a shared smile, they went on their way. The same direction this time. Brett led the way, already a step ahead. Still, he never looked back but it was fine. Eddy faced forward and he knew it was different his time. If the smile on Eddy's face slowly morphed into a grin, Brett wouldn't notice, and Eddy was thankful, for once.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tsa sale in a few hours, r u buying something?

**Author's Note:**

> drop some comments! all is welcome in this household x)
> 
> [my instagram](https://www.instagram.com/fishtofu15/)


End file.
